Baseball bat

ABSTRACT

A baseball bat may be provided as part of a baseball training kit and a method of training a baseball player. The bat may include an internal tube sized to accommodate a plurality of cylindrical weights. Similarly sized cylindrical spacers, having significantly less mass than the weights, may also be inserted into the internal tube. Players can select different weight resistances by selecting which of a plurality of spacers and weights should be inserted, and in which order. A cap may be provided proximate the handle in order to secure the weights and spacers within the internal tube.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/380,693 filed on Aug. 29, 2016, the entire contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to baseball bats and, moreparticularly, training or practice bats and kits.

BACKGROUND

The sport of baseball is a bat and ball game which has existed in itscurrent form for nearly two centuries. Bats used for baseball aretypically a smooth wooden or metal club. By regulation, a baseball batmay be no more than 2.75 inches in diameter at its barrel, the thickestportion of the bat, and no more than 42 inches long. The end of the batproximate to the barrel may be referred to as the cap or the top of thebat, while the opposite end of the bat is a handle, to be gripped by auser of the bat, and a knob, which is a wider piece designed to keep thebat from slipping from the user's hands.

Training devices have been developed to assist players in practicingtheir swinging. For instance, cylindrical weights may be added around astandard, regulation bat in order to increase torque and provide greaterresistance for a user practicing with the weighted bat. Thesecylindrical weights are sometimes referred to as donuts. A weighted batcan, accordingly, allow a user to develop additional strength leading togreater bat swing speed when the user removes the weights.

Special training bats have also been developed to allow a player toadjust the weight of the bat. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,386, theentire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, disclosesa training bat that is hollow with a disk positioned in the interior ofthe bat at substantially the center of the plate, a plate positioned inthe interior of the bat at substantially the end of the striking end ofthe bat, and an object positioned in the interior of the bat andmoveable between the disk and the plate.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in orderto provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. Thissummary is not an extensive overview of every embodiment disclosedherein. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements ofthe various embodiments nor delineate the scope of the disclosure. Itssole purpose is to present some concepts of the disclosure, inaccordance with the various embodiments disclosed herein, in asimplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that ispresented later.

In one embodiment of the disclosure, a baseball training kit may includea baseball bat having a handle, a barrel, and a tube extending throughthe interior of the bat along a longitudinal axis of the bat, with thetube having a tube length. A plurality of weights may be insertablewithin the tube, the plurality of weights including at least a firstweight having a first length and a second weight having a second length.A plurality of spacers may also be insertable within the tube, theplurality of spacers including at least a first spacer having the firstlength and a second spacer having the second length. The kit may alsoinclude a removable cap proximate to the handle of the bat for sealingthe tube.

In another embodiment of the disclosure, a method of baseball trainingmay include providing a baseball bat having a handle and a barrel, withthe bat including a tube having a tube length and extending through theinterior of the bat along a longitudinal axis of the bat and a removablecap proximate the handle and dimensioned to seal the tube. The methodmay further include selecting at least one of a plurality of weightswith each weight having a first length or a second length, optionallyselecting at least one of a plurality of spacers with each spacer havingeither the first length or the second length and the selected weightsand optionally selected spacers having a collective length equal to orless than the tube length. The method may include inserting the selectedweights and optionally selected spacers into the tube through the handleof the bat, sealing the tube by attaching the removable cap, andrepeatedly swinging the baseball bat.

The following description and the annexed drawings set forth certainillustrative aspects of the embodiments of the disclosure. These aspectsare indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which theprinciples of the disclosure may be employed and the various embodimentsare intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Otheradvantages and novel features will become apparent from the followingdescription when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross sectional review of an embodiment of atraining bat.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded view of a removable knob in an embodimentof a training bat.

FIG. 3 illustrates a baseball training kit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description and the appended drawings describeand illustrate some embodiments of the disclosure for the purpose ofenabling one of ordinary skill in the relevant art to make and use theseembodiments. As such, the detailed description and illustration of theseembodiments are purely illustrative in nature and are in no way intendedto limit the scope of the disclosure in any manner. It should also beunderstood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and in certaininstances details may have been omitted, which are not necessary for anunderstanding of the embodiments, such as details of fabrication andassembly. In the accompanying drawings, like numerals represent likecomponents.

In one embodiment of the disclosure, a baseball training kit may includea baseball bat having a handle, a barrel, and a tube extending throughthe interior of the bat along a longitudinal axis of the bat, with thetube having a tube length. A plurality of weights may be insertablewithin the tube, the plurality of weights including at least a firstweight having a first length and a second weight having a second length.A plurality of spacers may also be insertable within the tube, theplurality of spacers including at least a first spacer having the firstlength and a second spacer having the second length. The kit may alsoinclude a removable cap proximate to the handle of the bat for sealingthe tube.

In further embodiments, the kit may further include a resilient memberattached to the removable cap and insertable into a portion of the tube.The first length may be between 5 to 9 times the second length. Theplurality of weights may include one first weight and one to threesecond weights, and the plurality of spacers may include one firstspacer and one to three second spacers. The tube length may be equal tothe resilient member in a compressed state plus the first length and oneto three second lengths. The tube may be composed of aluminum.

In another embodiment of the disclosure, a method of baseball trainingmay include providing a baseball bat having a handle and a barrel, withthe bat including a tube having a tube length and extending through theinterior of the bat along a longitudinal axis of the bat and a removablecap proximate the handle and dimensioned to seal the tube. The methodmay further include selecting at least one of a plurality of weightswith each weight having a first length or a second length, optionallyselecting at least one of a plurality of spacers with each spacer havingeither the first length or the second length and the selected weightsand optionally selected spacers having a collective length equal to orless than the tube length. The method may include inserting the selectedweights and optionally selected spacers into the tube through the handleof the bat, sealing the tube by attaching the removable cap, andrepeatedly swinging the baseball bat.

In further embodiments of the method, the first length may be between 5to 9 times the second length. The first length may be greater than halfthe tube length. At least one of the weights or spacers may have a firstlength. A maximum of three weights or spacers may have a second length.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a training baseball bat 100 may includea barrel 110, a handle 120, and a knob 130. The interior of bat 100 maybe composed of a hard rubber or plastic composite including an interiortube or passage 10 extending along a longitudinal axis through bat 100.In some embodiments, tube 10 may be integrally formed into the materialfrom which bat 100 is constructed. Tube 10 may also be formed by aseparate component inserted into bat 100, and tube 10 may be formed fromaluminum, plastic, or another durable material. Composite materialsparticularly suited for supporting tube 10 are further contemplatedwithin the disclosure. Any suitable material known to a person of skillin the art may be used for the supporting tube 10. Tube 10 may becylindrical with a circular cross-section, as depicted, or alternativelymay have other cross-sections such as square or triangular.

Tube 10 may accommodate a plurality of weights 20/20A, which may havedimensions conformed to tube 10. For example, in the case of theillustrated embodiment the tube 10 is cylindrical, and the weights20/20A are cylinders sized to fit within tube 10. Weights 20/20A may besignificantly denser than the material bat 100 is made from. A pluralityof sizes for weights are contemplated in accordance with the disclosure.A first weight 20 may be significantly longer than a second weight 20A.First weight 20 may be approximately 5 to 9 times the length of secondweight 20A. For example, in a practice bat 100 measuring a length of31″, first weight 20 may have a length of about 20.5″ while three secondweights may have a length of about 3″. Tube 10 may also accommodate aplurality of spacers 30/30A, which may have dimensions conformed to tube10. Longer, first spacers 30 may have substantially similar dimensionsto long, first weights 20, while shorter, second spacers 30A may havesubstantially similar dimensions with shorter, second weights 20A. Inthis respect, a player using bat 100 may interchange spacers 30/30A andweights 20/20A as so desired to adjust the weight and balance of thebat. Spacers 30/30A may be significantly lighter than weights 20/20A. Inone embodiment, the weights 20/20A may be made from stainless steel oranother metal similar to material used for exercise free weights, whilespacers 30/30A may be made from a translucent or semi-translucentplastic.

Tube 10 may be accessible by a removable cap 40 provided on knob 130.Cap 40 and knob 130 may have complementary threading in order toreleaseably secure cap 40 to knob 130. Threading may alternatively beprovided on tube 10 rather than knob 130 in order to secure cap 40. Aspring or other resilient member 50 may be connected to cap 40 andinsertable into a portion of tube 10. Spring 50 may press against an endweight 20/20A or spacer 30/30 a provided in tube 10, thereby securingthe weights and/or spacers within tube 10 and preventing longitudinalmovement within tube 10.

FIG. 3 illustrates components of bat 100 as a baseball training kit,which may include bat 100, a removable cap 40, a plurality of weights20/20A and a plurality of spacers 30/30A.

The descriptions set forth above are meant to be illustrative and notlimiting. Various modifications of the embodiments, in addition to thosedescribed herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from theforegoing description. Such modifications are also intended to fallwithin the scope of the concepts described herein. Each patent, patentapplication and publication cited or described in this document arehereby incorporated herein by reference, in their entireties.

The foregoing description of possible implementations consistent withthe present disclosure does not represent a comprehensive list of allsuch implementations or all variations of the implementations described.The description of some implementation should not be construed as anintent to exclude other implementations. For example, artisans willunderstand how to implement the embodiments in many other ways, usingequivalents and alternatives that do not depart from the scope of thedisclosure. Moreover, unless indicated to the contrary in the precedingdescription, none of the components described in the implementations areessential to the embodiments disclosed. It is thus intended that theembodiments be considered as illustrative, with a true scope and spiritof the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A baseball training kit comprising: a baseball bathaving a handle and a barrel, the bat including a tube extending throughthe interior of the bat along a longitudinal axis of the bat, the tubehaving a tube length; a plurality of weights insertable within the tube,the plurality of weights including at least a first weight having afirst length and a second weight having a second length; a plurality ofspacers insertable within the tube, the plurality of spacers includingat least a first spacer having the first length and a second spacerhaving the second length; and a removable cap proximate to the handle ofthe bat for sealing the tube.
 2. The kit of claim 1 further comprising aresilient member attached to the removable cap and insertable into aportion of the tube.
 3. The kit of claim 1, wherein the first length isbetween 5 to 9 times the second length.
 4. The kit of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of weights includes one first weight and one to threesecond weights, and the plurality of spacers includes one first spacerand one to three second spacers.
 5. The kit of claim 4 furthercomprising a resilient member attached to the removable cap andinsertable into a portion of the tube, and wherein the tube length isequal to the resilient member in a compressed state plus the firstlength and one to three second lengths.
 6. The kit of claim 1, whereinthe tube is composed of aluminum.
 7. A method of baseball trainingcomprising: providing a baseball bat having a handle and a barrel, thebat including a tube having a tube length and extending through theinterior of the bat along a longitudinal axis of the bat, and aremovable cap proximate the handle and dimensioned to seal the tube;selecting at least one of a plurality of weights, each weight havingeither a first length or a second length; optionally selecting at leastone of a plurality of spacers, each spacer having either the firstlength or the second length, the selected weights and the optionallyselected spacers having a collective length equal to or less than thetube length; inserting the selected weights and optionally selectedspacers into the tube through the handle of the bat; sealing the tube byattaching the removable cap; and repeatedly swinging the baseball bat.8. The method of claim 7 wherein the cap further includes a resilientmember insertable into the tube, and wherein a collective lengthresilient member in a compressed state plus the selected weights andoptionally selected spacers are equal to the tube length.
 9. The methodof claim 8, wherein the first length is between 5 to 9 times the secondlength.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first length is greaterthan half the tube length.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein at leastone weight or spacer having a first length is selected.
 12. The methodof claim 11, wherein a maximum of three weights or three spacers havinga second length are included in the plurality of weights and spacers.